Trump Orders Military Strikes Against Houthis In Yemen And Threatens Iran

Topline

President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered the U.S. military to conduct airstrikes targeting the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, the most notable military action of his second term thus far, while threatening Iran to cease its support for the Houthis or else face retaliation.

Key Facts

The United States launched air and naval strikes targeting dozens of Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen on Saturday, including radars, air defenses and missile and drone systems, unnamed U.S. officials told the New York Times.

Trump said in a Saturday afternoon post on Truth Social he directed the strikes in response to the Houthis’ “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism,” likely referring to the group attacking ships in the Red Sea—a crucial trading route—that have ties to the United States, United Kingdom or Israel, though the group has also indiscriminately targeted ships.

Trump threatened the military will use “overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” accusing the Houthis of costing the United States billions of dollars for disrupting global trade routes and attacking American vessels.

Trump also threatened Iran, stating its “support for the Houthi terrorists must end” or else “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”

Videos of airstrike damage circulated social media Saturday, with some appearing to depict smoke coming from Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport.

The strikes killed at least nine people after hitting a residential neighborhood in Sanaa’s northern Shouab district, multiple news outlets reported, citing Yemen’s Houthi-run health ministry.

Why Did Trump Strike The Houthis?

In his Truth Social post, Trump cited the Houthis’ attack against American warships in the Red Sea in November. The two warships were attacked by at least eight drones, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles, Reuters reported. The airstrikes also come just days after the Houthis renewed their threats against vessels linked to Israel, which they said was to pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza. Earlier this month, Israel blocked aid to Gaza to pressure the Hamas militant group to accept new terms to extend a ceasefire agreement.

Key Background

The Houthis, a Shiite militant group backed by Iran that seized Yemen’s capital in 2014, launched a campaign attacking ships in the Red Sea in late 2023, which it said was in solidarity with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel. Though the Houthis originally said they would target ships traveling to or from Israel, its attacks soon extended to include ships linked to the United States or United Kingdom, and some attacks appeared to be indiscriminate. Under former President Joe Biden, the United States conducted strikes against the Houthis, though these largely did not deter them. In Trump’s Truth Social post, he slammed Biden’s “pathetically weak” efforts, alleging it allowed the “unrestrained Houthis” to keep attacking ships in the Red Sea.

Further Reading

Yemen’s Houthi rebels say ‘any Israeli vessel’ in nearby Mideast waterways again a target (Associated Press)

Who Are The Houthis? Yemen Group Behind Red Sea Attacks Are Hamas Allies (Forbes)